Trumbull was one of four effects supervisors on 2001: A Space Odyssey. His visual effects credits also include The Andromeda Strain, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Blade Runner. In addition, Trumbull directed the feature films Silent Running and Brainstorm, as well as special venue films including Back To The Future – The Ride.

Calling it an “honor” to receive the VES award, Trumbull said: "My philosophy is that everything in a movie is an illusion of some kind, and I am very excited that the industry today is now embracing 3D, higher frame rates, and other opportunities that can expand the movie-going experience, and deliver to audiences the kind of immersive and other-worldly images that we in the VES can provide. The role of the VES at this time could not be more important, and I am very grateful to receive this astonishing recognition.”

Trumbull was also recently selected as a VES Fellow; he is only the third to receive this distinction.

Said VES Chair Jeffrey A. Okun: “He is an innovator in all things entertainment and equally important is his genius for re-imagining the impossible into a compelling visual that not only has never been seen before but also goes to the heart of the storytelling.”

Trumbull maintains Trumbull Ventures, a privately-owned film studio aimed at developing systems for high-resolution digital production using virtual sets and locations, high frame rates, 3D, and previsualization techniques. He is presently developing multiple feature film projects that he intends to write, produce, and direct, using his virtual set technology.